But from this chaotic grass roots movement blossoms a church. It is from this church that teachers, apostles and shepherds are raised.

They are not born into those roles. They never have been. They never will be.
Rather, they are transformed - by the awesome and creative power of God.

We are in the business - not just of transforming - but of being transformed. It’s here that we find the real freedom to which Jesus calls us. Just read Galatians 2 and you will catch the spark; you will feel the power of what this means for us.

It means laying down the failure and the faults, yes. But it means more: it means laying down the parts of us that fail.

Jesus wants us to be better than we are. He is calling us to be like him. To think like him. To love like him. To be free like him.

As we turn the page and enter this next chapter of our common life at St Mags, know this: God has His sights set on where we are. But He also his sights set firmly on a place at which we have not yet arrived.

As it happens we can’t see that place from where we stand. That is why we are a people on the move. Fortunately, this is nothing new to us. We have been on the move since Egypt - walking, dodging, running, resting, but always moving.

Like the apostles, we have been on the move since Samaria, Caesarea, Joppa, Antioch, Seleucia, Pamphylia, Iconium, Lystra, Macedonia, Thessalonica, Beroea, Athens, Corinth, Ephesus, Jerusalem …

We have been on the move since ever we were God’s people.

To answer the question of where we’ve come from - this can be a complicated task.

To answer the question of where we’re going is actually quite simple.

So where are we going? Where has God called Mags and her amazing people?

Interregnum/Appointment Timeline

In July, our PCC (Parochial Church Council) was joined by Douglas Dettmer (Archdeacon of Totnes) and Roger Driver (Trustee of The Simeon's - our patron) and was advised on a possible timeline of the procedures and processes for appointing a new vicar.

During our 'interregnum' (time without a vicar), we'll aim to use the blog to highlight each stage of the appointment process and outline where we are on the timeline. One of the first stages is to look to develop a Parish Profile document. This will aim to help us to communicate our 'Jesus: Full Life for All' vision and give a fuller 'flavour' of the ministry of St. Mags to anyone looking in.

The PCC therefore asked members of the congregation if they felt prompted to be part of a Profile Action Group. Research was started in early August, with wider consultation planned for church, Living Room & open meetings, before the preparation of a draft document towards the end of September.

We were also excited to announce that Simon & Marjorie May will be joining us this next year. As leaders of a church in North Devon (with many similarities to St. Mags) Simon has accepted the role of Interim Priest in Charge and will be worshipping with us on Sundays, as well as supporting our ministry during the week.

Mark and Meg are Moving to Bath

We have been here at St Mags for almost 7 years. It has been an amazing journey and the St Mags family are some of the most courageous, faith-filled and Jesus focused people we have ever met.

At the start of this year it seemed like God was leading us to make plans for what the next 8-10 years looked like for St Mags and for us. So we followed that path for us personally but also thinking ahead for the life of the church family.

Then at the end of March we went to dinner with some old friends. He was coming to the end of his curacy (his training to be a vicar) and so was looking for where God was calling him. In passing he mentioned a church job in Bath he looked at but he did not have the experience to apply for the post.

As we got in the car we turned to each other and said, "we are not even going to look at it, we have just made plans". But over that weekend we could not get it out of our heads. Then on the Tuesday morning Meghan looked at the job and when I got home I looked as well. As we read it was like God burned it on our hearts. By the end of the day, we knew we had to apply and that if we did not get it that God was leading us on from St Mags. We applied and were offered the Job.

The official role that Mark will be taking on is, Rector of All Saints Weston Bath with Langridge and North Stoke. We will be moving on from St Mags over the summer. Our last Sunday is going to be 23rd July and I will be licensed on Thursday 7th September at All Saints.

You can see a map of where we are going below.

What about St Mags? The team here are fantastic, full of faith. We are working through what needs to be in place for St Mags to continue to grow. That conversation involves churchwardens, PCC, curates, staff team and the diocese, who are being really supportive. The team are still catching up and getting used to the idea, but I am confident that Jesus will lead and equip them for this next part of the journey. Over the next few weeks the team will communicate clearly what the leadership structures will look like for this next season.

Bible reading apps

Reading the bible is really important. It not only helps us understand who God is and how to live well but actually creates space for the Holy Spirit to lead us into "all truth".

At St Mags we have bibles that we give away to anyone who wants them. But if you are wanting to go a bit deeper, develop a regular pattern of reading and grow in your understanding, then just reading the bible by yourself can sometimes feel like quite hard work. Joining a group at St Mags is a really important thing to do. But there are also some great apps that can help you along the way.

I can recommend a couple:

Bible by Life.church

A great free app that comes with multiple versions of the bible for free, with excellent additional material including video. My favourite bit is that most bible versions have audio as well. This means you can have the app read the bible to you. They also have loads of bible reading plans. I use this app for my personal reading.

Logos Bible by Faithlife

Again a free app but with lots of paid options (some very expensive) aimed at deeper study. A wide range of other Christian study books available. The free package gives you a good set of basics. I use this app for preaching prep.

There are loads of others out there, whatever you use to read the bible, a real book or an app, reading regularly and widely is really helpful.

Growing Family

Thank you for being part of the St Mags family this year. We are not a building or even an institution but a gathering of people who are following Jesus and learning how to live life to the full. It is a privilege to be here with you.

Last year at St Mags we have welcomed a number of new people to serve on team and others who have stepped up to more formal roles. Nathan and Brigit, Rob and Cam, John, David and Ingalill. As well as having many people join the church family. We have started some new ventures like Access, pushed deeper into others like The Living Room and even had a gift day where you gave over £7000. The heart of our mission strategy is not a program or a course, but you and me. It begins when we stand in front of another person and simply ask the Holy Spirit how today we can play our part in sharing the good news of Jesus. You have all be doing this in extraordinary ways and it is deeply moving. Thank you for helping to live the vision of, Jesus: Full Life for All.

(Image of St Mags Family locations 2016 - a church in mission)

Tough and Hopeful

In many ways, it has also been a tough year. A number of people in the church family have experienced significant loss through the death of a loved one, or things just not working out as you had hoped. Sometimes these things have been external but for others, the struggle has been in our thinking and mental health. One of the things I love about the St Mags family is that we are not afraid of these painful things. There is no need to hide away, but in fact, you can (and are specifically invited) to live with these things in the context of community. As together we make that daily choice to worship so we will begin to see things from God’s perspective.

Looking at the wider world we have also seen significant change and hardship. Brexit, Trump, continue terror attacks, Calais Jungle and Syria to name a few. How are we to handle our personal difficulties as well as society? Isaiah 9 gives us a hint.

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.

And he will be called
Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

We have hope not by ignoring the difficult things, but in the context of them. Into this world a child is born, a son is given. He is our wonderful counsellor and the prince of peace and his government is increasing daily.

So I pray that you will have a happy, peaceful and hope-filled Christmas.

Sex talk at St Mags

Over the last few years, we have had a number of talks about relationships, porn, sex, sexuality. Some of these are first thoughts as part of the conversation some are things that Mark (the vicar) is thinking along the way.

You can find a few links below to the original articles or talks.

At St Mags we want to try to talk about these things well and honestly. We will often not agree on everything, but we encourage you to take time to think deeply, to reflect on your journey and engage with the bible and culture.

In your conversations with others we encourage you to be loving, gracious and take the time to listen. In talking about these things we may not always use the right words and on occasion even speaking will offend but I encourage you to reflect, speak, listen and engage. God is good and loving.

If there are things that you would like to talk through with Mark then please do get in contact.